Tre Moynihan’s family finds hope in his unexpected death

Tre Moynihan went to Lake Powell in Utah for a houseboat trip with his brother, Kody, and friends from Davis. It was vacation built around jet skies and wakeboarding.

On June 20 the 2012 Davis High graduate was riding the wakeboard when he just let go of the rope. When the boat came back to pick him up, Kody noticed something was wrong with his brother and jumped in to help him, according to their mother, Cathy Sacks, who relayed the story to The Enterprise on Friday, June 27.

“He was unconscious. They pulled him onto the boat and tried CPR, but he was unresponsive,” his mother said.

The group called 911 and a helicopter was dispatched to fly Tre Moynihan to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George, Utah, approximately 120 miles away.

“Everybody was trying … on the boat, the helicopter, in the ER, the ICU. They did everything they could,” Sacks said. “He never regained consciousness.”

The official cause of death is listed as anoxic encephalopathy due to or the consequence of near drowning and complication due to or as a consequence of spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Knowing their son’s wishes — Sacks and his father, Kevin Moynihan — agreed to donate their son’s organs. In an email sent to friends and family on Monday, Sacks thanked them for their thoughts and prayers as they prepared for the donor surgery. Tre Moynihan, 20, had developed numerous friendships swimming for the Davis Aquamonsters and on the DHS water polo team. He was named second-team all CIF his senior year while scoring 32 goals.

“He really wanted to be an organ donor,” Sacks told The Enterprise. “It was the first thing he thought of when he got his driver’s license.

“As a family, we find comfort in that that’s what he wanted and he will go on in the lives of others and that others will live.”

Sacks was able to speak with the surgeon following the surgery.

“The surgeon said (Tre’s) heart was pristine, big and strong,” Sacks recalled. “He played water polo, was a club swimmer at UC San Diego. … He just loved athletics, being very fit.

“All his organs will be useful for others. We find a lot of comfort in that.”

According the California DMV website, an organ donor may save the lives of up to eight people. To sign up to be an organ donor, visit http://donatelifecalifornia.org/

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 26, at University Covenant Church in Davis. Time to be announced. All are welcome.